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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rock — a stone
  3. mug — a face
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rock — music
  6. squash — the sport
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. branch — a division
  9. game — a match
  10. rash — a series
  11. squash — to crush
  12. mug — a cup
  13. game — wild animals
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. deal — to handle
  17. rash — hasty
  18. mug — to rob
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. craft — a skill
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. craft — boats

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com